White Plains, NY – An incendiary promotional advertisement was published earlier this week for an upcoming article in the Journal News (Lohud), a popular newspaper in Rockland County. The caption, “Rabbi holds the strings on $76M for East Ramapo School District… Coming Feb. 9,” appeared above a puppet master using pencils and string to manipulate what appears to be children atop a pile of cash.
While the article, or even the identity of the “rabbi” – as though his “rabbihood” is somehow germane – were unknown, the caricature evoked the worst antisemitic tropes.
Agudath Israel protested the article, stating, “The concept of the Jew as a conspiratorial puppet master, covertly manipulating the world economy and events, harks back to at least the 1700’s, as further amplified upon in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Its imagery and underlying implications have stoked pogroms for hundreds of years, and was employed as recently as by the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, who killed 11 worshippers in the largest modern mass shooting against Jews in America, at Tree of Life in 2018. We wonder how any article which emerges from an editorial board that approved such a hateful cartoon can pretend to be free from bias.”
Today, Mary Dolan, Executive Editor at Lohud, wrote the following apology:
On Monday, we posted a promotional illustration on Lohud’s social media channels whose words and imagery unintentionally featured an antisemitic trope.
Within an hour, we deleted the posts containing the illustration, which was promoting an upcoming investigative story, after a reader contacted us pointing out this hurtful choice of imagery.
We apologize.
Members of our team, including myself, did not recognize the stereotype that degrades and demeans Jews in the image and accompanying language. We’re deeply sorry this passed our review.
We condemn all forms of antisemitism in all ways that it is expressed.
We are grateful to all who sought to educate us on the history and hate behind the image.
The illustration we removed had listed a publication date for the investigative story this week. Please know we have shifted that date as we review the story’s visual elements.
The story focuses on the East Ramapo school district and raises questions about how officials have chosen to allocate millions of dollars in public funds to a nonprofit entity.
In this case and in all of our investigations, we are driven by our First Amendment duty to pursue matters of public interest and to hold leaders and institutions accountable through our reporting.
In coming days, we will reflect on our misstep over the illustration and engage in considerable outreach and listening with local Jewish communities. Yet we cannot and will not let this unfortunate incident distract us from providing the quality journalism meant to address issues serving our readers.
